October 2003

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October is Fire Prevention Month
This year, Fire Prevention Week is October 6 - 11. The Illinois Safety Council is the proud sponsor of the Fire Prevention Week Poster. Click here for more details in the Illinois Safety Council website.

Alcohol and your health

Recent studies suggest that alcohol in moderation can reduce your risk of heart disease and high cholesterol. But before prescribing an extra cocktail for health, take a look at the pros and cons of alcohol consumption. Can you benefit from alcohol? A Finnish study showed that life expectancy was slightly higher for men who drank some alcoholic beverages every week than men who didn't drink at all. This effect disappeared in men who drank more than seven drinks a week. What could this mean? A little alcohol may be good for our health, but more than a little is not good. And there are more effective ways to achieve the same benefits:

• Eat a varied diet that's rich in complex carbohydrates and low in saturated fat, salt and sugar.
• Exercise regularly.
• Manage the effects of stress.
• Avoid recreational drugs.

What are the harmful health effects of alcohol?
Alcohol is a toxic substance. Abuse or even mild overuse over a period of time can cause:

In addition to these health problems, alcohol can cause behavior problems that can lead to loss of income, family and friends. Alcohol use is associated with a large proportion of violent incidents, work-related accidents and car accidents.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
Drinking during pregnancy can cause fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) in the baby. The symptoms include:

• skeletal deformities
• mental retardation
• hyperactivity
• stunting of growth
• malfunctions of the major organs
• underdevelopment of the head and face.

Most doctors recommend that women don't drink at all during pregnancy.

Is alcoholism inherited?
The evidence is that children of alcoholics are three to five times more likely to become alcoholics than the children of nonalcoholics, even when adopted by nonalcoholic families. If there's alcoholism in your family, you may be at risk for developing it. One way to avoid becoming an alcoholic is to not drink at all.

If you drink:

• Drink no more than one to two drinks a day, depending on your metabolism or body weight.
• Avoid drinking during pregnancy.
• Avoid drinking every day.
• Avoid drinking when taking medications.

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Worker self-protection tactics - recovery strategies after a hard day's work

A hard day's work requires rest to repair the wear and tear on the body. Otherwise, damage will outrun repair over the months or years of work, resulting in injury, chronic pain or disability.

Going to bed with a stiff back after a day's work may cause your back to heal improperly, often with too much scar tissue. This leads to a gradual weakness and stiffness that can put you at a higher risk for a back problem. Investing a few moments of your time performing exercises after work, before sleep, will allow your back to heal much better with good tissue. Your back regains its younger flexibility and strength.

**These exercises are designed for a healthy back. If you have a back problem, you should seek advice from a professional who can evaluate, treat and recommend exercises for you.

Hamstring stretch	Lie on your back. Bend one leg up and grasp your thigh. Hold your thigh straight up as you try to straighten your leg at the knee, stretching the hamstrings gently for 30 seconds. Repeat with your other leg.
Hip flexor stretch	Lie on your back. Bend one knee to your chest. Grasp it and hold it to your chest for 30 seconds, keeping the other leg down flat or over the edge of a bench/bed. This stretches the front of the opposite leg you are holding.
Low back stretch	Get on your hands and knees with spine in neutral as shown. Gently raise back upward until you feel a stretch at your low back. Hold for 30 seconds.
Back bend stretch	Lie on your belly. Place your hands on the surface just beneath the shoulders. Press up so that you hold your upper body up on your forearms for 30 seconds. If this hurts, skip it and instead do a gentle standing back bend for five seconds.
Hip bridging	Lie flat on your back with your legs bent and your feet flat. Hold your stomach tight (without holding your breath!) and raise your buttocks 6 to 8 inches. Hold for three seconds. Relax. Repeat ten times.
Back strengthening	Get on your hands and knees. Hold your stomach tight (without holding your breath!) and reach forward with your left arm and backward with your right leg. Hold this for three seconds. Switch to the other arm and leg and hold for three seconds. Repeat five to ten times per side.

CIS Onsite is a provider of the IMPACC Program which addresses work-injury prevention. Want to learn more about how IMPACC can help your company? Visit the IMPACC section of our website or call toll-free (866) 298-1312. Outcomes information is also available in the June 2003 issue.

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Think Safe! - Vibration and injuries at the workplace

Vibration from machines and tools used by employees can significantly increase the amount of stress and work required by the body to accomplish certain job demands. Examples of machines and tools that cause vibration are buffing/polishing wheels, pneumatic tools and other machines which require the employee to steady the parts/machine with the upper extremity to accomplish the certain job demands. The problem of vibration on the upper extremity is usually an additional stressor. Typically, employees utilizing tools/machines which cause vibration into their upper extremities also have these demands on the body:

• repetitive shoulder reaching

• repetitive grip and pinch

• sustained upper extremity postures.

The body must repetitively contract and relax the muscles of the upper extremity while stabilizing other upper extremity joints in order to perform certain job demands. The addition of vibration into the upper extremity causes the body to work much harder.

Employers can counteract the negative effects of vibration and the additive stress on their employees by taking several very simple and proactive steps in order to minimize work related injuries.

Recommendations:
1. Encourage/Require the utilization of viscoelatic vibration dampening gloves.
2. Educate employees on proper upper extremity postures and stretches to
maximize blood flow to minimize work related injuries.

If you have any questions concerning the above stated recommendations feel free to contact CIS Onsite by visiting our website or call us toll-free at (866) 298-1312.

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